Netters camp to prep for PNS

Another camp in Auckland for the national netball team is on the cards as part of the team’s final preparations ahead of the Pacific Netball Series in June.

Home-based netters Luciana Matenga and Teiva Maui recently attending a series of training sessions in Auckland with fellow national netball training squad members and new coach Trish Wilcox.

Netball Cook Islands president Patsy Hockin says that the core national netball team from last year’s Singapore series and Pacific Netball series make up this year’s line-up for the national netball team.

With a new coach on board and important netball events looming – the core team have a second camp scheduled for next month in Auckland.

Hockin says Auckland is a central base for the team to gather as the training squad currently includes three home-based players, three players from Australia and eight home grown players based in Auckland for studies.

This year’s Pacific Netball Series doubles as a qualifying series for the World Cup in Sydney next year.

The series will be played over two round robins – six games in total making for an extremely exciting tournament.

To qualify for the World Cup event – the Cook Islands Black Pearls national netball team will have to place in the top two in the upcoming series against Pacific sisters Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.

New coach Trish Wilcox is also based in Auckland and is currently the community netball manager for the Netball Northern Zone.

Wilcox was the Samoa under 21coach from January 2012 through to September 2013, when she was contracted to prepare the team for the 2013 World Youth Cup.

To support the home-based players of Luciana Matenga, Teiva Maui and Mati Toru to attend next month’s training camp – a quiz night fundraiser will be held this Thursday at the Cook Islands Game Fishing Club starting at 6.30pm.

Registration for teams of six is $120 with lots of great prizes on offer, great food and of course a fun time guaranteed.

Support the Cook Islands Black Pearls netball team and register a team today with Luciana on phone 54341 or Tupe on 50081.

The three home grown players will be joined in Auckland for the final camp by fellow training squad members Rosa Kauvai, Clarista Andrew and Jamin Forbes from Australia and home grown talents based in New Zealand including Alanna Short, Antonina Browne, Tatiana Hirovana, Eric Short, Natalia Short, Mei-Ling Refiti, Ashleigh Iro and Lenae Tiati.